Can We Trust the News?
When TV began more than 80 years ago, it promised reliable news for all. More recently, the Internet appeared to offer the same. But despite these hopes, instead of information we can rely on, we are flooded with advertisements and entertainment.
TV in many countries is controlled by media networks and financed by advertising. In fact, almost one-third of US TV time is ads. If news reports are too complex and too long, viewers will change channels, and networks will pay the penalty in lost income. To keep viewers, networks make reports simple, short, and entertaining. News show hosts begin stories with music and fast-moving images, and the news is shown without background facts. The main stories are often about movie stars. Instead of news full of information, TV presents stories about people who commit violent crimes or the bad behavior of famous people. As a result, people come to have a simple view of the world and develop quick and easy answers to all problems. They also follow silly and shocking reports. For example, did you know that 20 percent of Americans believe the sun goes around the earth or that 80 percent believe that their government is hiding documents that prove that aliens have visited the earth?
Today, because of TV ads, people can recognize more than 100 brands but very little of the natural world, such as the names of stars or trees. While many people know about the lives of famous movie stars, they know very little about the people who run their country. In a 2011 survey, only 29 percent of Americans knew the name of the vice president. Only 60 percent of people in the United States bother to vote.
Unlike TV, a few networks do not control the Internet. It is open: anybody can set up a webpage. However, this is a problem. The Internet has no editor. How are we to know a search engine refers to information we can trust? Like TV networks, Internet search companies, such as Google and Yahoo, are financed by advertisers. Can we trust the sources of the information they provide?
More and more, the world is facing complex problems. The solutions are not simple, and some of the problems, such as overpopulation and climate change, may lead to disaster if we do not take action. Sadly, if news continues to be presented as entertainment, there is little hope for solutions.